Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass presented her city budget proposal this Monday for fiscal year 2026-2027.
In a statement, Bass’s office said: the balanced budget of $14.85 billion dollars anticipates increased property, business, sales and utility tax revenues for the city.
Besides, greater efficiency is promoted in municipal servicesas well as maximizing the use of special funds and new sources of resource revenue for the city.
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“We have worked hard to changing the direction of Los Angeles on homelessness, public safety and basic municipal servicesand this budget builds on that work so we can continue to make progress,” Bass stated in the city statement.
The budget proposal for the city of Los Angeles foresees an increase of $750 million dollars, after last year, for fiscal year 2025-2026, it was $14.1 billion dollars.
According to the mayor’s office, the city of Los Angeles’ budget proposal is based on four priorities:
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Reduce homelessness
The city intends to move forward with the Internal Safe programto provide temporary or permanent housing to homeless people who spend the night on public roads, preserve temporary accommodation beds and services at street level, after the 18% reduction in homeless people.
It is intended to provide more funding for address the problem of caravan campingas well as for supervision, transparency and accountability.
Strengthen public safety
There is a proposal to hire 510 new police officers, as part of the objective of having 8,555 officers for this yearwith a long-term goal of 9,500 agents.
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Provide training to officers on the use of force, tension reduction and a mental health intervention.
A strategic use of city funds to have a greater impact on communities that need it, as patrols in downtown Los Angeles to address shoplifting and street squatting.
Establish work teams dedicated to attack cable theft, to pursue criminals involved in human trafficking and in greater security around temporary housing shelters.
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It is proposed maintain funding for the Los Angeles Fire Department before the sales tax measure goes into effect, investing in equipment, including a helicopter and vehicle renovations.
The city will also preserve the deployment of 500 crossing guards.
Crime prevention
The city will retain the following programs: Crisis and Incident Response through Community Participation (CIRCLE)Unarmed Model of Crisis Response (UMCR) and Gang Reduction and Youth Development (GRYD).
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It is planned to expand the Safe Passage program to help children get to and from school safely, while protecting them from gang violence.
Investment in Infrastructure and basic services
The city of Los Angeles seeks increased funding for street and sidewalk repairstreet cleaning, daily street cleaning, recovery of bulky items and law enforcement against illegal dumping.
Financing for the repair of 700 miles (1,126 kilometers) of road laneswhich includes resurfacing, the use of asphalt slurry, and major asphalt repairs.
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45% increase in financing intended for the evaluation and installation of access ramps for people with reduced mobility throughout the city.
A Public Lighting Maintenance Initiative that, according to the mayor’s office, will repair and replace up to 60,000 streetlights in the city over the next two years without impacting the city’s Total Fund.
The implementation of the Public Lighting Evaluation, to repair 220,000 streetlights in Los Angeles.
City Council will evaluate the budget proposal
The Los Angeles City Council has the responsibility for reviewing the budget proposal presented by Mayor Karen Bass for further approval.
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“The City Council, through its Budget Committee, will take a comprehensive and transparent approach in the coming weeks“Council President Marqueece Harris-Dawson and Budget Committee Chair Katy Yaroslavsky said in a joint statement.
The representatives mentioned that the mayor’s proposal will be reviewed, in addition to listen to different departments and residents to make necessary adjustments.
“Our objective as City Council will be present a final budget that is scandalous in this proposalprotect essential services and reflect the priorities of the communities we represent,” the councilors added.
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